Velocifero

Ladytron
Nettwerk Records

From their robotic name to their signature sound, dark and cold as outer space, Ladytron is not the kind of electro band that rushes to assure you that they have hearts, and not computer chips, in their chests. And if the lead singers' quirky voices should add a bit of humanity to the android dance party, please try to overlook it until they start singing in impenetrable Bulgarian. Velocifero means "bringer of speed," and there's a sense of urgency in the disc's insistent rhythms. If the quartet is broadcasting power-on-self-tests from a speeding spaceship, it's a ship trying to escape a decaying orbit. This is Ladytron's heaviest album yet, with the trademark shimmering synths and cryptic vocal delivery weighed down by chunky bass and drums. There's enough variety here in the battle between the group's older more spare style and their increasing enthusiasm for an industrial/dance vibe, to prevent Velocifero from getting dull, even though the elements are the same on every song. The album very nearly rocks, and its brooding summons to the dance floor makes it Ladytron's most accessible to date.